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Show ASHAMED OF ITS PARTY. We are pleased to note that our Dem-cratic Dem-cratic contemporary is ashamed of its party's free trade tendencies and is frank enough to say so. It rises to remark re-mark that the Democrats do not really mean to favor free trade, but are rather for that nebulous thiDg known as "revenue reform." The question of free trade and tariff reform, so far as the Democratic parly is concerned, was fcupht to a linish in the Chicago convention. The majority of the committee on resolutions reported re-ported a tariff platform that recognized the principle of protection and demanded de-manded that the revenue laws should be so arranged as to protect American workmen against the cheap labor of foreign countries. This plank was instantly opposed by that arrant free-trader, Henry Wat-tekson, Wat-tekson, and by a two-thirds vote the convention rejected the plank which pledged the party to a moderate protective pro-tective policy and adopted the following follow-ing in its stead: i WE DENOUNCE REPUBLICAN PROTECTION PRO-TECTION A3 A FRAUD. A GREAT MAJORITY MA-JORITY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE LABOR FOR THE BENEFIT OF A FEW. AVE DECLARE IT TO BE THE FUNDAMENTAL FUNDA-MENTAL PRINCIPLE OF THE DEMOCRATIC DEMO-CRATIC PARTY THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS NO CONSTITUTIONAL CONSTITU-TIONAL POWER TO IMPOSE AND COLLECT COL-LECT TARIFF DUTIES EXCEPT FOR THE PURPOSES OF REVENUE ONLY, AND WE DEMAND THAT THE COLLECTION COLLEC-TION OF SUCH TAXE8 SHALL BE LIM- 1TED TO THE NECESSITIES OF THE GOVERNMENT WHEN HONESTLY AND ECONOMICALLY ADMINISTERED. This is the platform of the Democratic Demo-cratic party. It declares that protection protec-tion is a frand. It was every where understood to bo a clear-cut declaration declara-tion for free trade. Its adoption was celebrated on the streets of Manchester, England. It was applauded by the press of Germany and France Henry George declared that at last an American Ameri-can political party had been converted to free trade, and that there was no longer any need of maintaining a separate sep-arate movement for that end. The Democratic party is a free trade I party and as squarely opposed to protection pro-tection in the United States as the manufacturers and workingmen of Grest Britain. Four years ago it skulked behind the screen of tariff reform. re-form. Now it has had the courage and good faith to throw off the mask. The Herald's apology means only this, that the Democrats of the West realize that these great states of the future fu-ture will never knowingly give their votes to a party that intends to deprive their growing industries of the benefits of protection. But the men of the West are too bright to be deceived. |